TORONTO – To some degree Marco Estrada’s back issues are going to linger from here on out, perhaps as nothing more than a minor irritant but maybe something more significant. It’s something the Toronto Blue Jays will no doubt be watching closely. They need the all-star right-hander to be good.
Estrada was good in his first start since July 2, coming off the disabled list Friday to deliver six innings of two-run ball in a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners. He looked uncomfortable early and wasn’t as crisp as he’s so often been this season – he gave up seven hits, only the third time he’s surrendered more than five and first since April 21 – but routinely made pitches when he needed to, and kept the game well under control.
“I felt good, just rusty,” said Estrada, who relied on his fastball with his secondary pitches inconsistent. “Threw a lot of first pitch balls, was behind in the count a lot, it was tough, it was a grind. I guess it’s to be expected when you miss that much time … (The back) was fine, I’m ready to go, I just got to be more consistent again. The more I get off the mound, the better I’ll feel out there. I’ve just got to keep pitching.”
Even still, the Blue Jays will be thrilled if Estrada, who received multiple cortisone shots in his back the week before the all-star game, gives them 10-12 more starts just like this one.
“It had been a while since he’s been out on the mound, but when you look at the gun readings, everything is where you wanted it to be,” said manager John Gibbons. “He did a nice job and really did what he does best – that last inning he was in a jam and he can work out of a jam with the best of them that you’ll ever see.”
Less thrilling for the Blue Jays (52-43) was the final score before a crowd of 46,737 in the opener to a nine-game homestand, as they ceded ground to the Mariners (49-47), who are clinging to the periphery of the wild-card chase.
James Paxton, the left-hander from Ladner, B.C., dominated with high 90s heat complemented by a vicious curveball, allowing a run on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. He was full value for it.
Michael Saunders, back after tending to a personal matter and facing his former team for the first time, hit a solo homer in the second that tied the game 1-1, and that was all the Blue Jays managed. He later struck out against Steve Cishek to end the game in the ninth with two men on, a brutal called second strike from umpire Mike Everitt pushing the count to 2-2 instead of 3-1.
“I thought one thing and Mike thought the other, I won’t go on about it,” said Saunders. “It obviously changes the count which changes the at-bat, but at the end of the day you can’t sit there and mope about a call, you’ve got to bear down. Cishek made some good pitches and struck me out.”
The Blue Jays’ only other chance to score came in the sixth, when Josh Thole walked and Josh Donaldson came up with two outs. After taking a borderline strike two, the reigning AL MVP quietly made a comment to home-plate umpire Mike Everitt, who proceeded to chew him out. Manager John Gibbons eventually came out of the dugout and exchanged words with Everitt before play continued, and Donaldson ripped the next pitch to the wall in left-centre for a double.
“I just wanted to see what was going on,” said Gibbons. “They got back to work and then Josh hit the double. Two competitive guys, Josh is a very intense guy, and so is Mike. It worked its way out.”
Third-base coach Luis Rivera wisely held the heavy-footed Thole at third on the double but Mariners shortstop Sean O’Malley made a terrible relay throw home, and had the catcher kept running, he would have scored easily. But with Edwin Encarnacion up next, there was no sense in chancing it, and an average relay home would have easily nabbed Thole.
Encarnacion proceeded to strikeout, fouling off a pair of fastballs in the middle of the plate. After the first, he slapped himself in the head, after the second, he put his left hand on his hip and muttered to himself.
“Tip your hat to the other guy, he pitched a hell of a game,” Estrada said of Paxton.
Estrada’s most difficult inning was the first, when Nori Aoki tripled to open the inning, Seth Smith was hit by a pitch and Robinson Cano followed with a run-scoring fielder’s choice. Nelson Cruz followed with a single before Estrada recovered to get Kyle Seager and Adam Lind.
The Mariners eked out the winning run in the fifth when O’Malley led off with a single, stole second and scored when Smith cued a ball down the third-base line for a double. Estrada held the damage there and then escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth unscathed to keep the deficit at one.
“I guess I made pitches when I needed to,” said Estrada. “We elevated a lot, I kind of had to, I was having a hard time throwing it in where I wanted to but I was trying to go up and in anyways, it seemed to work, had a few infield pop flies and that helped me out a lot during those situations.”